


Magic Shop

by theobliviouswriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Auror Harry Potter, Fifth Year Jin, Fifth Year Yoongi, First Year Jungkook, Fourth Year Hoseok, Gryffindor Kim Seokjin | Jin, Gryffindor Kim Taehyung, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Student Jeon Jungkook, Hogwarts Third Year, Hufflepuff Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Hufflepuff Kim Namjoon, Jungkook is bullied, Magic, Magic Shop, Parseltongue, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Revenge, Room of Requirement, Room of Requirement Shenanigans, Second Year Jimin, Second Year Taehyung, Slytherin Jeon Jungkook, Slytherin Park Jimin (BTS), Third Year Namjoon, Vampire Park Jimin (BTS), bts hogwarts, parseltongue jungkook, pro-revenge, qudditch player Jin, quidditch player jimin, ravenclaw min yoongi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21991033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theobliviouswriter/pseuds/theobliviouswriter
Summary: Jeongguk is the only survivor of a ship wreck, and he and his mother move in with his grandmother in England. The fact that he floated to the beach in a bubble always surprised him, but when he learns that he is a wizard, he cant help but be excited to attend Hogwarts. He is a bit scared, but upon discovering that he will be able to converse with his peers and teachers with ease, he can't wait to become a student....All until he becomes a student. Jeongguk has to face bullies, but with the help of his friends, he will be able to find his love for Hogwarts and magic, and finds a way to deal with those pesky bullies.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, at most maybe jikook and taekook??, none tbh theyre kids
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	Magic Shop

**Author's Note:**

> This was a long time coming, my friends. Do you see how long it is?! Anyway, I hope you guys really like it!!! Also, I apologize for the shitty synopsis it's hard for me to condense. lol. Also I might continue this with different years...let me know what you think!!!

When Jeon Jeongguk was little, he would go fishing with his father in the waters surrounding Busan, a city by the sea. His family lived in a house along the beach. Each morning led to any other day scuttling through the sand and splashing in the water. It was normal to Jeongguk; this was his life. He and his older brother would go out too far from shore and allow the tide to bring them home. Nights were spent staring out at sea, trying to count the stars but getting lost in them. The brothers would lay side by side, holding hands, talking about who knew what. But life was easy as a child who loved the sea, his home in South Korea.

It was one particular day, though, that made Jeongguk and his family realize that he was anything but ordinary. Yet another day at sea, the two boys and their father took to fishing when their mother, conscious of the sun, remained at home. She had bid the children with a, "Be careful!" as they left for the small fishing boat. The sea was rough this particular day, but both boys hiked up their big boy pants, saying they would be just fine, thank you very much. Everything went well as the boat forded its way towards deep waters, but about ten miles out, the water began to become rough, very rough.

Too rough.

Before they knew it, before anyone knew it, the boat was sinking.

No one made it except for Jeongguk, who managed to float back to shore, unscathed and engulfed in a bubble of air. He never understood it, but what he knew was that his brother and father were dead. He didn’t know how to tell his mother how they died or how he lived.

This was such a weight to bear—Jeongguk was eight.

Jeonghyun and Jeongguk’s father were gone and the two, son and mother, suffered in silence. Jeongguk didn’t want to cry because he wanted to be strong for his mother; all she did was cry because she didn’t know what to do.

That was the first time Jeongguk displayed any sort of magical ability.

It was also the last time he ever allowed himself near the sea, love turning to both fear and hate as it took important people from him.

At school, Jeongguk was always bullied. His skin was too dark from the days out at sea. He was too smart. Usually, he was able to handle the taunts; usually, he would snap back. But after the incident, he wasn't the same. The bullying was intense, so intense that Jeongguk would often come home with cuts his mother would need to bandage, bruises she needed to ice. It was hard for both of them. Frequently, Jeongguk would have a hard time falling asleep—he always dreamed about the accident—so he'd stay awake, hearing his mother crying to his grandmother, he supposed, wishing that things would get better, not worse.

This was how they moved to Cheshire, England.

Jeongguk's grandmother moved to London after her husband died, then moved to Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, after deciding that she couldn't deal with the busy city life that couldn't quite cater to her mother tongue. Why she moved to an English-speaking country, Jeongguk's mother would tell him, she didn't know. But it was an escape and precisely what they needed.

It was some random morning when Jeongguk’s mother walked into his room, her face bright and cheery as she sat on his bed, saying, “Let’s pack, Gukkie-ah. We’re going on vacation for a while.”

“Vacation?” the eight-year-old asked. He was a deep sleeper, so waking up to something like this, a vacation, was a pleasant surprise.

“Yeah, we’re visiting Oehalmeoni, sweet boy. Let’s get dressed and packed, okay?”

They spent the whole day packing, boarded the plane for Manchester, and never looked back.

Jeongguk's first year in England was incredibly lonely and sent him into a culture shock. Everything was in English, and he only knew the basics. But "please," "thank you," "yes," and "no," seemed to get him around decently.

Instead of going back to a traditional school setting, Jeongguk’s mother decided to teach him at home, with the help of his grandmother in regards to English. But Jeongguk didn’t want any of this.

Every day was a cycle. He woke up at nine, had breakfast at nine-fifteen, cleaned up at nine-forty-five, and learned until three or four in the afternoon. He’d go outside and kick a ball around—he liked football. But the cycle was mundane, boring.

So, one day, he decided he wanted to break the chain.

After breakfast, Jeongguk ventured out into the woods behind his grandmother’s house. She lived in a house out on a plot of country land and forests were quite commonly backyards for the inhabitants. Being a nine-year-old, he was quick to find a stick and begin to carry it around as he hiked. He used it as a cane. _Step, poke, step, poke_. Until he ran into something warm and solid.

Looking up, he saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed kid much larger than him, much more gnarly. His brows furrowed a little too much, and with how he smiled, his two front teeth bucked over his lips. He was ugly and mean, and poor Jeongguk, a little boy who knew very little English, was stuck there as the bully began to shove him around, cussing him out.

Jeongguk wanted an out, and as he was being backed up and pinned against a tree, the stick he held became cold and scaly. Surprised, he dropped it and jumped back, hitting his head against the wood. Jeongguk glanced away from the nasty grin on the bully's face; the stick that was once a solid piece of wood was now a viper, gaining size as he slithered between the bully's legs.

Though he felt he shouldn’t have laughed, he couldn’t help himself when the bully finally looked at the serpent weaving figure eights around his legs and screamed, loud and high pitched, before running away. He laughed until his stomach hurt—and until he noticed the venomous snake had turned to him.

Slowly, it slinked closer, and Jeongguk had nowhere to go, being backed up to a tree. So, he closed his eyes, praying that the snake wouldn't bite him or eat him—being eaten seemed like an entirely possible outcome, him being nine, almost ten. But it didn't do either. Instead, it licked a long, cold stripe across his cheek.

Allowing himself to blink a few times, he peered at the snake.

If snakes could smile, that was exactly what it was doing.

“ _I…uh, thank you, I guess_ ," Jeongguk said, shimmying between the snake and the tree, trying to find his way out. For a moment, the snake let him pass, and the boy decided that it was enough for the day, enough of outside and back to the routine. But before he could retreat from the forest, he heard a small, silky voice.

“ _You’re welcome, Jeongguk_.”

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned around, not sure if he was hearing things. “ _Did…you talk_?”

“ _Yessss_ ,” the snake hissed, slithering up to his side, following the child as he continued to walk.

“ _Are you gonna follow me home_?”

“ _Yessss_.”

Jeongguk stopped right at the edge of the forest and the clearing behind his grandmother’s house. Turning to the snake, he bent down, smiling at the serpent. He always liked fish. Back at home, he had a little goldfish named Ingeoki. He gathered that snakes _were_ different, obviously, but they also kind of reminded him of fish. So, he wouldn’t be afraid. “ _Do you have a name_?”

The snake shook its head.

“ _Good. I’m naming you Seviper. After the Pokemon_." Jeongguk began to walk towards the house again, then remembered that his mother and grandmother probably didn't want a snake in the house. So, he turned to the snake one last time before stepping onto the porch. " _You’re going to have to stay out here. I’ll bring food and water for you…and I hope you’re okay with me coming out here to talk to you. I get lonely_.”

Jeongguk kept that promise, returning to the snake each day with food and water. Some days, the child was more reserved and talked about his day, what he thought about the weather. Simple things. Some days, he looked to the snake as a friend, someone he could tell everything to—and Jeongguk did, from the house he used to live in on the beach, his father, his brother.

It was early May the year before Jeongguk’s eleventh birthday when his mother finally discovered him talking to snakes.

This particular day, the subject matter was quite weighty.

Jeongguk was finally telling Seviper about the accident.

“ _The sea was rough that day_ ," Jeongguk said, sitting on the wooden planked steps down to the grass clearing in the backyard. If he looked either way, the grass was overgrown with clover, and it smelled sweet and dewy. Nothing like the sand between his toes and the sooth of the waves crashing against the shore.

Though the thought of the sea startled him, brought him back to the accident, he missed Korea. He missed being able to talk to everyone. He missed not feeling so alone.

“ _Me and my brother said we could go. We weren’t scared. We’d gone out when it was bad before and we did okay. But…this time, it wasn’t. The water was too strong and it knocked the boat over, then split it in half. I thought I was going to die but this bubble of air…it…ffffssshoop_.” Jeongguk circled his arms in the air, demonstrating how the bubble engulfed him. “ _I thought that maybe they got the air bubbles, too, but after waiting on the shore for an hour, I knew it was just me. It was like magic, but_ ….”

Jeongguk sighed, and for the first time after the accident happening, he cried. It was silent and became nothing more but a weep. But Seviper patted his back with its tail.

“ _You sssssaid it was like magic…who sssssayssss it wasssssn’t_?”

Jeongguk lifted his head and glanced at the snake.

For one, he was always told magic didn’t exist. It just didn’t. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, he always knew they weren’t real. But then again, he was _talking_ to a snake.

“ _But…I—_ ”

“ _Have you ever not wanted something to happen, and then it didn’t because, I don’t know, a stick turned into a snake_?”

Jeonngguk gasped. “I _did that_ —”

“Jeongguk-ah!”

Suddenly, Jeongguk's mother picked him up and took inside, the door slamming behind them on the way in. Jeongguk's grandmother walked into the room, curious about the noise. She frowned at the frantic mother who was making sure her son wasn't bitten by the viper.

“I was just talking to Seviper,” the boy whined, trying to squirm away from her, but she wouldn’t let him go.

“Jeongguk, those are _venomous_!” Finally done with her search, his mother placed both hands on his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. “I’ve lost almost everyone who matters to me. I’m not going to lose you, too.”

That was the last time Jeongguk saw Seviper.

But not too long after the incident, the young boy slowly became more attuned to himself and his surroundings. He noticed bits and pieces of magic everywhere. Tiny, minuscule pieces and it was never when he was trying. If Jeongguk tried, it wouldn't work.

Late July, there was a knock on the front door. Jeongguk was in the living room with the television on. He liked to watch British television and make up what they said in his head.

His mother answered the door, and when she did, she said something in very broken English.

"That's quite all right, Ms Jeon," the woman replied in perfect Korean, which surprised Jeongguk. He leaned out of his chair to find a woman in long robes and a witch's hat. The deep-set wrinkles on her forehead told him that she’d seen a lot, and when her eyes turned to him, she smiled.

Jeongguk couldn’t help but smile back.

Nevertheless, he knew not to cross her.

“How did you know my—oh, come in, ma’am,” Jeongguk’s mother said, stepping aside to allow the woman fully into the house. “You can sit in the living room—Jeongguk-ah, turn off the television, please.”

The boy did this, then turned to the strange woman. “How do you know Korean?”

Smiling, the woman shook her head and said, “You must be Jeongguk.”

“How do you know?” Jeongguk whispered, eyes widening in surprise. This was all so strange, yet he was giddy, excited, even, and he couldn’t quite understand why.

"Because I am here to talk to you and your mother. This will be very exciting for you."

Before Jeongguk could ask any more questions, his mother rushed in with a pot of tea and some mugs, setting them on the coffee table before taking a seat. "I know you said my name, but maybe you're here for my mother? I haven't been out way too much, still getting used to living in Britain and all."

The ten-year-old could tell his mother was nervous—she always rubbed the back of her neck when she was. At the rate she was going, her neck was going to be chafed, he thought, and as red as his was when he would get sunburned.

“Actually, I’m here for Jeongguk. I am Headmistress McGonagall,” the woman said, then handed over a letter to the boy.

Sealed with purple wax, a letter was addressed to him in green ink; he read the emblem: "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

A jolt went through Jeongguk’s spine, a smile crossing his face.

The magic was real…and there was a school for it!!

His mother's reaction, however, was not the same. She went white in the face and gripped Jeongguk's arm. "Are you trying to induct a _ten-year-old_ into a cult?”

This woman didn’t look at all surprised by this reaction and pulled something from the pocket of her cloak, handing it to Jeongguk’s mother. “That’s the response we usually get, but no. I am not trying to induct him into a cult. I’m simply handing him the key to unlock his potential. Your son is a wizard, ma’am, and with proper training, he can do great things. Not that he can’t within the muggle world, but if his magic is suppressed, terrible things tend to happen….”

As Headmistress McGonagall continued to inform Jeongguk’s mother about the school, the boy opened the letter and read its contents:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Minerva McGonagall

Dear Mr Jeon,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress.

Excited was an understatement. A place where Jeongguk could learn magic? Cast spells? All these things seemed to be something of a fantasy, right in front of his eyes. Magic? 

Was this real?

Was this actually happening to him, or was he just crazy?

"Since he is born the day term starts, we decided that it would be appropriate to have him start now," the headmistress said as Jeongguk's eyes looked over the list of supplies. "And we will have the proper accommodations to make sure he understands the lessons. We have a few other Korean kids as well who will surely be able to help him—why the World hasn't attempted to make more diverse attempts baffles me, frankly. Hogwarts has become more inclusive over the years. The higher-ups are creating new spells to help with language barriers, as well."

“So you're telling me that if I send him off to Hogwarts, he will be out of harm's way? And he won't become a …a—"

“Obscurial? Yes. Typically, it's under some form of abuse, which I know you would never. The bond you have with your son is quite apparent, but the repression of his magic can stunt him terribly." McGonagall smiled at Jeongguk's mother and took her hand, patting it with sincerity. "You can always send owls to him, and he will flourish."

Headmistress McGonagall was there for some time, listing out everything that was expected of Jeongguk and how he would be able to study with the language difference. To seal the deal, she performed some magic as well and had Jeongguk tell her what magic he'd noticed—apparently, he wasn't apparent with it. He'd forgotten to mention that he could talk to the snake, only because his mind was on a million other things.

Before the headmistress left, she told Ms Jeon that she would send someone to usher them to Diagon Alley in a few days and that he would be able to speak with them as well. She disappeared soon after and left the family alone.

When Jeongguk's mother tucked him in for the night, she took a seat on the edge of his bed and sighed. Just in those few hours, it looked like she aged considerably. Drained and saddened, her face drooped when it usually didn't.

"I never thought I would thank magic for saving you,” she said, gently running the back of her hand against his cheek. “And why didn’t you tell me about the bully, sweet boy?”

"Because I was safe. Seviper helped me, Eomma.” Jeongguk grinned from ear to ear, already too excited to sleep and the day seemed like lightyears away.

A sad smile overtook his mother’s face; kissing his forehead, she stood up and sauntered to the door, turning around to say, “Good night, I love you.”

Several days later, while Jeongguk was playing football outside in the clearing, a large, snowy owl swooped near him; the boy was not afraid, but prepared for it and held his arm out, allowing it to perch on his arm. It held a letter in its beak, and the boy knew what it was for. "Thank you," Jeongguk said to the bird in English, and it departed, disappearing along the horizon. 

"Eomma!” the boy yelled, running up the porch and into the house, almost forgetting to take off his shoes at the door. His mother stood in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. As of late, she’d been trying a lot of British dishes, just to add some variety to their plates. She turned around after placing the pot on the backburner and smiled.

"What do you have there?”

Leaning against the counter, Jeongguk opened the letter, then frowned, staring at the writing. It was in English and was barely legible at that. “Do you know how to read English?”

Taking the letter, his mother gazed over the words. She was all right at writing and reading in English, speaking it was something else.

"Looks like we need to take a visit to a place called the Leaky Cauldron. That’s where we’ll meet our guide. Go get your shoes on, Guukie-ah. We're going to buy your school supplies." She slipped it in her pocket; the two took off for the bus a few minutes later.

The duo had a rather typical bus ride to London. His mother gave her pleasantries to the bus driver with pleases and thank you’s, and Jeongguk picked a seat near the front—per usual, he chose the window seat.

As the scenery passed by in a blur, Jeongguk allowed his mind to drift to the school. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Days ago, he tried to Google it but failed at finding anything that would inform him of what it was. Then again, he also knew that they were very private. That much was obvious. Kids his age would've eaten something so compelling up, trying to convince their parents that _they_ were witches and wizards so they could attend the school. He guessed not everyone was just like that—magic and all.

When the drive finally came to an end, they stopped right in front of a small, dingy little pub with a bannister hanging to advertise the contents inside. Daily, non-magical people seemed to pass without blinking an eye. They didn't notice the oddly robed people with pointed hats walking either in or out periodically. Jeongguk and his mother climbed out of the bus, hand in hand, and crossed the street straight to the pub. 

It was evident how Jeongguk's mother felt about the scene before her. When she was stressed, she furrowed her brow tightly together, the tips of each eyebrow almost brushing. It was scary for both of them, really. After all, Jeongguk was about to be enrolled in an English-speaking school. Sure, he'd learn over time, but it was never just that easy.

Walking into the pub, an odd sense of relief rolled over the ten-year-old. To him, the atmosphere felt much more organic. In one corner sat two groups of couples, the woman with blazing red hair incredibly pregnant. She leaned against a darker man with wild, black hair, piercing green eyes, and a small lightning-bolt shaped scar above his right eye. Jeongguk couldn't help but stare as his mother pulled him along and the man caught him, but he smiled.

Quick to look away, the ten-year-old took in the other side of the bar. A toothless but somewhat friendly-looking man stood behind the bar, wiping down pint glasses.

However, the elephant in the room stood near the back, waiting for them when he held up a sign for Jeongguk: his name spelt in hangul.

This helped ease Jeongguk in a little bit more. Being able to speak Korean, not needing to worry about feeling stupid because there was magic to help with that.

Was there magic to help with everything?

"All righ’ ther, Jeongguk?”

This man was taller than any human Jeongguk had seen. His beard and hair were long, streaked with grey, but was mainly black. He had dark beetle eyes that glinted with joy, and Jeongguk couldn't help but like him right away.

"Hello,” Jeongguk said, glad that there was the spell that allowed them to communicate effectively. Maybe, someday, he could learn to cast it, too.

The big man turned to his mother and smiled. She blanched, slightly, but smiled back. “Hello. You must be Hagrid.”

“I am, all righ’, and yer the Jeons!” Hagrid laughed jovially, which made Jeongguk smile. Any hint of nerve had suddenly dissolved. “I’m here ter get yeh started, now. Take yeh ter Gringotts, exchange yer Muggle money. Then you can buy yer stuff. Jus’ follow me!”

And with that, the family was off, following behind the gigantic, kind man.

At first, Jeongguk thought that Hagrid was pulling their legs when they entered a bricked up courtyard behind the shop, but after pulling out his umbrella and tapping a brick three times, the wall parted, revealing a whole other very abnormal street filled with colourful and peculiar people.

Jeongguk and his mother stepped in at the same time. They ambled behind Hagrid, taking everything in as they walked along. The buildings were filled with exciting shops, yet he noticed vacant lots here and there. He would've thought the entire string of shops would be filled, but—

"Sad ter see, still haven’ filled up th’ shops,” Hagrid sighed, which made Jeongguk wonder _what_ had caused them to shut down.

Finally, the family and the gargantuan man came to a stop in front of a huge, white marbled building labelled "Gringott’s.” Its pillars and height made it more magnificent than anything in the alley, yet it seemed much…eerier, less enjoyable. “Gringott’s Wizardn’ Bank,” Hagrid said. “All ye got ter do is exchanger yer Muggle money for ours and yer set! S’not ter hard to do.”

And they all walked in.

After a few moments, the three walked out of the bank, the bag of gold, silver, and bronze weighing the ten-year-old down, almost to the ground. But he had everything he needed to pay for his first year at Hogwarts.

A wizarding school.

Jeongguk still couldn’t quite believe it.

“’M suggestin’ ye go to Madam Malkin’s firs’. Get yer robes and get ‘at done with,” Hagrid told the boy and his mother, gesturing to the shop with robes and other attire propped in the windows, glaring back at Jeongguk. They were nicely made, black and sleek looking. The Hogwarts crest was embroidered on the left side, where his heart would be. Only in a few minutes would he wear his first pair of robes and the thought of it made a smile spread across the young boy’s face. “Let’s go, Eomma,” Jeongguk said, taking her hand and pulling her along.

Hagrid went in the opposite direction, and for a minute, the family watched him wander off. Son and mother exchanged worried glances, afraid they were going to be left to fend for themselves, but before they could try and catch Hagrid, a voice put their minds to ease.

“Nowadays, everyone that works in Diagon Alley is required to use Lingua Pontem. Tricky spell, it is, but it’s beneficial and gets the job done.”

Jeongguk and his mother turned to face an older but kind-looking woman with measuring tape hanging around her neck. She was quite obviously the owner of the shop, in which she stepped aside to let them into.

“How does that work, ma’am?” asked Jeongguk’s mother as they allowed the shop owner to step in and guide them to the mirrors and platforms Jeongguk needed to stand in front of and on to get his robes tailored. Doing so, the witch began her work as she explained.

"Lingua Pontem, or Language Bridge allows whoever is listening to understand what the speaker is saying, as can the speaker understand the replies. This can also be cast in certain rooms. This is especially essential with the influx of international students coming into Hogwarts. After Harry Potter’s defeat of…er…You-Know-Who, which as you are Muggle-Born, I’m sure you don’t, more and more students began to choose Hogwarts as their choice of school. Students from Africa, North and South America, the Philippines! All over, and because of how diverse Hogwarts has become, including the language, professors learned that they couldn’t be as linguistically exclusive. Therefore, this spell was forged,, and I can speak with you like this now."

As Madam Malkin was saying this, the tape that was once around her neck was being used to measure Jeongguk's height, width, the circumference of his head. Any kind of measurement you could imagine was being taken. Then, she glanced at a notepad in her hand and nodded, muttering, "I'll be right back with your robes."

“Funny how that works,” Jeongguk’s mother said to him, gazing at his reflection in the mirror. She must’ve spotted something in the mirror because she began to straighten his shirt and unbutton and button his shirt—he missed a hole in the rush to get on the bus. “I still can’t believe it, Gukkie-ah. You’re going to have to show me all of your tricks when you learn them, or…I guess they’re not really tricks, are they?”

As much as Jeongguk loved his mother, he also hated when she doted on him like this in public. He could hold her hand comfortably, but this?

“ _Eomma_ ,” Jeongguk whined, buttoning his shirt correctly for himself.

“Oh, you know that I’m worried,” his mother said, stroking his cheek. “You’re going to be all alone there, and I won’t see you until winter break.”

That was true, and even though Jeongguk didn't like homeschooling all that much, he would miss his mother every day. "We can get an owl and mail letters to each other every day," Jeongguk said, smiling at his mother. "I'll miss you, too."

Before their tender moment could organically draw to an end, Madam Malkin came in with a couple of robes, setting them over the back of a chair before grabbing the robe from the top of the stack.

"I recommend buying two to three," said Madam Malkin as she helped him into his robe. "Never know what might get on it—oh, and these will last you a few years! The hem lets out to fit you until your fourth year. We're working on some self-growing robes, though, accustomed to being the proper size for the wearer. They’re still running the betas, but we’ll be letting every Hogwarts student know when they’re out. A bit pricey, but they will be worth it. Ah—it fits perfectly!”

Jeongguk turned to the mirror, and when he saw himself, he couldn't help but grin. The robes _did_ fit perfectly, and he looked official once she put the pointed black hat on his head.

“You look so handsome, Gukkie-ah!” Jeongguk’s mother said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Look at you!”

Before Jeongguk could say anything, bells tinkled behind them. Someone else had walked into the store, and as he strolled up to the platform next to Jeongguk, he tossed a pretentious look Jeongguk’s way.

However, this air that surrounded the mystery boy dissolved, and she cracked a small, toothless smile.

“Hi,” he said in Korean.

A few seconds passed, and this boy's mother stood behind him, refashioning the way the cloak he wore rested on his shoulders. One glance at Jeongguk and his mother said what she thought of them—that they were obviously inferior.

He could tell his mother was offended. She took the robes from Madam Malkin and said, “I’d like to pay,” before heading towards the cash wrap.

Jeongguk lingered, glancing between the mother and son. The boy looked a little…a little paler, a little gaunter. But his mother was hard around the edges, too. She had a prominent jaw and cheekbones and was very beautiful, but he could tell that she was wicked.

“I apologise for the Parks,” Madam Malkin said quietly, folding the robes and placing them in the bag with the swish of her wand. “The boy is kind, but his parents are very arrogant. Don’t mind them too much.”

And with that, Jeongguk walked out with a lighter bag of coins and robes.

Upon meeting back up with Hagrid, they found him carrying a small cage, and inside it was a grey owl with wideset caramel eyes. Jeongguk made eye contact with it, and it hopped forward, snapping its beak.

“Eh, he likes yeh, Jeongguk,” Hagrid said, holding the cage out for him. “Wat der yeh wanna name ‘em?”

A surge of thankfulness rushed over the boy, and he muttered a thousand "thank yous” before considering what Hagrid had said. He stared at the owl for a moment, thinking of what he _could_ name it. “Namolppaemi, after the Pokemon.”

“A game,” Jeongguk’s mother specified before Hagrid could ask. “A trading card game.”

“All righty then,” Hagrid mumbled, then nodded to a bookstore. “Off ter Flourish and Blotts fer yer books….”

The next few hours seemed to fly by in a whir, and Jeongguk had poked his head in almost every single shop. His favourite by far was called Quidditch Quality Supplies. They had brooms, real brooms, in which you raced around on a pitch, attempting to either catch, shoot or hit a ball. The idea seemed complex, but when the manager of the shop explained it to him, it made much more sense. 

Jeongguk walked out of the shop with a broom, the Firebolt 360.

The last bit of money was to be spent on what he had to use to hone his magic: his wand.

Walking from the busy, jovial streets to the quiet, almost haunting, dim shop was a complete change, and Jeongguk wondered if it was always like this, the shop being so…downcast. The wandmaker didn't ease his comfort, either; his milky, almost luminescent eyes were enough to give the boy a shock.

"Ah, hello," said the shop-keep drawing near. It seemed that Jeongguk's presence in Diagon Alley had spread; the shop-keep seemed to know who the child was. "I am Garrick Ollivander, maker and keeper of wands. Are you enjoying the World so far?"

"It's really cool," Jeongguk said, trying not to be rude. He looked around, noticing all sorts of boxes shoved in cubby holes, arranged on desks, lying about but all in an orderly way. Then, he saw the tape measure wrapped around Mr Ollivander's neck like Madam Malkin's.

“Don’t mind the tape,” the man said, walking around, sometimes drifting towards another grouping of wands like he was a fish on a line. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it…yes, yes…some Muggleborns have quite a shock—ah. Hazelwood, twelve inches, reasonably pliant…phoenix feather. Here." Pulling the wand out of the box, Ollivander handed it over and had Jeongguk swish it about.

Nothing.

“No, quite all right. I think…maybe this one,” Ollivander said, whishing around Jeongguk to grab another box. He pulled it out from other a few other boxes and held it up, smiling to himself. “I’m sure of this one.”

Pulling the wand from its box, Ollivander held it out for Jeongguk to take, and as he slashed his wand through the air, blue and red sparks emitted from his wand.

“Ah, yes. This one is perfect for you. Maple wood, unicorn hair, ten and three-fourths inches. Supple flexibility. This wand suits you perfectly.”

“That’s amazing,” Jeongguk’s mother said, and the boy jumped. It was the first time she spoke in a while, so hearing her surprised him. He hadn’t even registered that she had entered the building with him. Turning to her, he saw just how impressed she was, and even Hagrid who stood outside with Namolppaemi watched stared at him with flashy eyes.

This was the first time Jeongguk truly felt like everything was…real.

The trip back on the bus was quite interesting. Everyone stared at Jeongguk, confused with all of the peculiar objects he was toting about. He learned these non-magic people were called Muggles. He was from a family of Muggles and out of all people, _he_ was the wizard.

Days passed too slowly for Jeongguk to enjoy the weather, the summer, and surprisingly, he wanted to be in classes, learning Transfiguration, and what he thought was the most interesting, Defence Against the Dark Arts. The books he bought were in Korean, so he could read them with ease. None of the books he purchased was for light reading, so he only knew about the History of Magic (in which he discovered the man in the Leaky Cauldron was Harry Potter, the saviour of the Wizarding World—funny, Jeongguk thought, how a celebrity like him could so comfortably dine out) and standard spells first years worked on. His things lay about all over, serving as a constant reminder of who he was and where he was going.

It just so happened that the first day of term was on his birthday. Quietly, his mother snuck into his room with a birthday cake and turned on the lights, flickering them a few times before singing happy birthday. He sat up to see what the commotion was and remembered two things: it was his birthday, and he was off to Hogwarts. 

Sitting up, the boy blew out his candles and hugged both of his grandmother and his mother before they sat and ate the cake in peace on his bed. As they did so, his grandmother looked around, her lips slowly sinking into a frown. “I can’t believe you’re leaving today.”

"Are you excited?” Jeongguk’s mother asked, eating the last bit of her cake.

“Really excited,” Jeongguk said, watching his grandmother get up to start and pack his things. “I can do that.”

“It’s your birthday, this is one of your gifts,” Jeongguk’s grandmother said with a smile.

“You will write to us every day, right?” Jeongguk’s mother asked, beginning to grab his things from the closet, feeding Namolppaemi as she passed his cage.

“Every day,” Jeongguk promised.

“And you’ll show us what you can do when you come back for Christmas, right?” his grandmother said.

“Actually, I can’t. It’s against the law.”

Coming to a stop, his grandmother cocked a brow. “Huh. Why?”

“So I don't scare anyone. I can get expelled, and my wand snapped if I do."

“Better not risk that, then,” Jeongguk’s mother said, packing his robes into his trunk. “He can do great things at school.”

At six-thirty, the bus departed from Holmes Chapel to London. Jeongguk slept the whole time, arms around the birdcage baby Namolppaemi resided in.

When he awoke, it took a minute for him to realize what was happening. He was there, sitting on the bus right outside King’s Cross Station.

To go through platform nine and three-quarters.

Did that even exist?

With the help of his mother and a trolley, Jeongguk was able to roll down to where he needed to be. They were there at ten minutes ‘til eleven, perfect time, but as he stood between platforms nine and ten, he was unable to understand where to go. Nobody else was lined up like they were to be led to some secret wizarding platform, yet….

Another kid rolled up to the platform with his own trolley, a cage on top. He looked behind him, waving ferociously at his parents with a big, boxy smile on his face. Then, he ran right through the platform and materialized right before Jeongguk's eyes.

Blinking a couple of times to make sure he saw it correctly, he turned to his mother, who looked surprised and a little frightened.

“I guess that’s how you go through, Gukkie-ah,” Jeongguk’s mother sighed, cupping a cheek in one hand. “Be good, listen to your professors, and try to make sure to tell me how every day is, okay?”

After making a few promises with his mother, Jeongguk set off for the platform and ran right through the brick wall.

Jeongguk came to a full stop the minute his eyes met the scarlet engine. He couldn't read what it said, but he knew he was in the right place. Several students bustled about with different pets and cages, kissing their parents goodbye as their luggage was lifted onto the train. Jeongguk was now all alone here, not knowing what anyone was saying or where he needed to go—

"My Mum would kill me if she saw that I was talking to you," a voice breathed in Jeongguk's ear, and he whipped around. The boy from the robes shop stood there, smiling a toothless smile. It was an odd kind of smile, it looked like his canines were trying to burst through his cheeks.

Did vampires exist, too?

“Then why are you—wait, are you speaking Korean?”

Jimin nodded. "I mean, yeah. That's why you can understand me. Anyway, listen. All you've got to do is take your trunk up to a compartment, and you're good. The teachers are required to have that enchantment on them at all times, as well as the Trolley Witch, so you'll be able to talk to them, too. Classrooms and the Great Hall are enchanted, as well, but common rooms aren't. So, my friends and I always—"

"Park Jimin!”

The boy turned around, then turned back to Jeongguk. “Good luck. You’ll like it here if you find the right people.”

And then, the boy left.

With Park Jimin's instructions, he was able to get on the train. Finding an empty compartment, however, was an impossible task. In the end, he sat in a compartment filled with obvious first years. Their eyes were transfixed on everything around them, and they spoke to each other fervently, excited about the year ahead of them. 

While they did this, Jeongguk stared out the window, watching the scenery go by. It was all so beautiful, the greens blurring with the blue sky like runny watercolours on a piece of paper. He could watch it for ages, but—

Someone tapped his shoulder.

Turning to the other kids, they began to talk to him, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. They had the best interest at heart, trying to involve him, but everything went over his head. They all stared at him.

“I-I don’t know E-english,” Jeongnguk said, hoping they'd understand him and it seemed they did. They all shot him a sympathetic smile before getting back to their own conversation. 

The train ride, being a long one, allowed Jeongguk to fetch his books from his trunk above his head and read whatever he wanted. It was okay with him that they didn't speak—he could learn more about the school he was attending, and though he read through this particular book at least twice, it was like he always found out something new when he reread it. Hogwarts had one hundred and forty-two staircases. It was one of the only seven Wizarding schools in the world. The noble Albus Dumbledore was the headmaster prior to Minerva McGonagall and was a mentor to Harry Potter. All of these things enthralled him, and it seemed he got lost in the pages. Before he knew, one of the kids nudged him. Everyone else was pulling on their robes, so Jeongguk knew that he had to, too. They were almost there.

Following suit, Jeongguk retrieved his robes from his trunk and shrugged them on. He couldn’t help the small smile that slipped on his face. Oh, he was nervous, but the excitement overrode it.

“Woah!” one of the children shouted. The rest of the children in the cabin raced to the window, shoving Jeongguk out of the way to take a look out of the window. Standing on one of the seats, Jeongguk was able to see just what they were gawking at.

Hogwarts stood across the way in all its glory. Jeongguk had seen pictures in his books, but seeing it for himself left him breathless. The castle was peculiarly homey. There were a couple of turrets jutting sky high, and the lake that surrounded the castle almost looked like an ocean. The ocean.

Jeongguk sunk back into his seat, his heart beating a little faster than it had been a few moments before.

This would be his home, Hogwarts. He didn’t have to go near the lake.

When the train came to a halt, and the children offloaded their trunks and cages, the youngest batch of kids was met with a familiar face. Hagrid seemed too cheery to see a bunch of eleven-year-olds, yet Jeongguk couldn't help but feel a little better when he saw the kind, large man.

“Firs’ years!” Hagrid called, “Firs’ years!”

Jeongguk approached Hagrid's side at lightning speed, and when the large man looked down at him, he grinned. "Jeongguk!"

“Hi,” Jeongguk said.

Hagrid waited until all of the youngest had joined him, and once he was sure everyone was there, he began to walk towards Hogwarts.

"Are we walking there?" Jeongguk asked Hagrid as he tried to keep up with the giant man. It was a desperate attempt; Hagrid's strides were so long.

As he struggled to keep up, Jeongguk watched the older students climb into carriages pulled by winged, demonic-looking horses. Thestrals. You could only see them if you witnessed death. Jeongguk shivered.

“No, we’re takin’ the boats!” Hagrid said, and as soon as he did, Jeongguk froze.

Hagrid seemed to pick up on this. He stopped as well, a few first years not noticing as they ran into him.

"Boats?" Jeongguk said in more of a whisper, desperately trying to keep himself calm. He didn't want to go on the boats, but this was tradition. He couldn't break tradition because he was scared.

“Do yeh not like boats?” Hagrid asked without a hint of judgement in his tone. This comforted Jeongguk.

“W-water,” Jeongguk said, and Hagrid nodded.

“Good thing me jacket’s big enough fer the both of us,” Hagrid said, and Jeongguk had no idea what he meant until students began to settle on boats and sail off across the lake. Soon, only Jeongguk, Hagrid, and a few other first years were the only ones left. As soon as everyone except Jeongguk was on the boat, Hagrid held a side of his jacket open.

Jeongguk’s legs shook as he stared at the slight amount of water between him and the boat. Then, he looked at Hagrid.

“Yeh can hide in here ‘til we cross.”

Taking a deep breath, Jeongguk stepped into the boat, tucked himself into Hagrid’s side, and hid in the folds of his jacket until they crossed the Great Lake.

The corridors of Hogwarts were large and inviting, huge lanterns illuminating the way towards the Great Hall. While Jeongguk looked around, he noticed talking armour, moving pictures as if televisions were glued to the walls. Everything to him was fascinating, but before he could study anything carefully, Jeongguk stumbled into someone.

Jeongguk mumbled his apologies, but that didn’t stop the kid from tossing him a dirty look.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" a squeaky, but kind voice boomed before the kid could threaten Jeongguk. A small, happy-looking professor stood there in blue robes. He clapped his hands together and looked around before clicking his tongue.

"I am Deputy Headmaster and Charms professor, Professor Flitwick. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.”

After finishing a speech that the professor seemed to have given several times before, he disappeared from their sight.

While waiting, Jeongguk decided to take up the opportunity to look around just a bit more. Though he stood in the middle of the first years, he was able to see what he wanted. He continued to stare at the moving pictures—until about twenty ghosts rushed past and into the Great Hall. Jeongguk couldn’t help but gasp. This seemed to be the relative reaction; every other one of his peers either squealed in fright or let out awe-struck croons.

With the parting of the Great Hall’s massive doors, the students simmered down and turned their eyes back to Flitwick.

“Form a single line and follow me.”

Without further instruction, the students did just that.

Jeongguk’s eyes drifted to the ceiling the minute they stepped in. Though he had read about it, he couldn’t help but be amazed at the sight of the sky winking down at him. He knew that every single time he turned a corner, he’d be seeing something new and because of that, he couldn’t help but be elated to be sorted. He would much rather be in Ravenclaw—he felt he would fit best in there.

Now that they were in the Great Hall, Jeongguk could talk to his fellow first years freely. When they came to a stop, Jeongguk turned to his left to find a rather broodish boy staring back at him. They made eye contact for a split second, then the boy looked away. Hoping for a better reaction, Jeongguk turned to his right and was met with a rather arrogant looking girl with eyes too big for her face. She gave him a single look and turned from him.

This did dishearten Jeongguk slightly, but before he could dwell on it, the hat that sat on a stool in front of the Great Hall began to sing.

Jeongguk had never seen anything like it before, and it would be an understatement to say he was amazed. Singing hats, moving paintings, ghosts. What was next?

Reading all of this information in a book was one thing, witnessing it for himself was another.

The song ended not too long after it started, and once it did, Flitwick began to call out names.

“Adams, Genevieve?”

The arrogant girl in front of Jeongguk tossed her hair and strutted forward. She sat down on the stool, and when Flitwick, standing on a stool to accommodate his height, began to lower the hat onto her blonde head, Genevieve grimaced. The hat barely touched her head before it called out, "Gryffindor!"

The scowl on her face deepened while she skulked over to the table of applauding students.

This same process happened with the other first years, calling out different houses. Jude Berry ended up in Ravenclaw, and Caroline Faris in Hufflepuff. Jeongguk watched intently, amused by the looks on each of the student’s faces when their houses were announced. Some were cross, some elated, most indifferent. Gryffindors, for the most part, were excited to be in their houses; surely because they shared a house with the famed Harry Potter.

“Jeon, Jeongguk?”

The professor pulled Jeongguk out of his head when he called his name; he looked forward and began to walk towards the stool. More and more eyes peered at him, and he felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. But when he looked just beyond Flitwick, he saw Hagrid, smiling and waving. He spotted McGonagall next; she sat in an ornamented chair. Relief flooded Jeongguk at the sight of her warm smile. He sat on the stool.

The sorting hat hummed in Jeongguk's ear the minute it was placed on his head, and it made the eleven-year-old jump.

"You're quite skittish, aren't you?" the hat laughed in Jeongguk's ear, and he didn't feel any more at ease. He knew the hat could talk after its vocal demonstration, but he didn't like the way it felt like the hat was talking _in_ his head.

“I’m just uncomfortable,” Jeongguk said, glancing at Flitwick. It seemed as if he hadn’t heard anything.

“Never mind that, now,” the hat said at once. “Your ambition, cleverness, yes…but you are creative…nevertheless—SLYTHERIN!”

Jeongguk drew in a sharp breath and glanced at Flitwick out of the corner of his eye. He, too, looked concerned, yet nodded him over towards the table that did not spare the applause for him. Quite the contrary happened—students were whooping, standing on their seats. The young boy felt just a bit more at peace as he walked over. When he sat down, he glanced to the Headmistress to gauge her reaction. Much like Flitwick, she appeared worried.

“Jeongguk,” one of the students called and when he saw a familiar face—Park Jimin, wasn’t it?—calling him over, he took a seat next to him.

The ruckus dialled down with the next few names called, but that didn’t stop curious Slytherins from interrogating Jeongguk while they could.

“You moved all the way from Korea?”

“That’s far! How do you like England?”

“Your parents must be brilliant witches and wizards. What’re their names? I reckon I might know them. My parents travelled abroad to different wizarding communities.”

Jeongguk opened his mouth to tell his peers that he was, indeed, Muggleborn. Initially, he thought this must've been why they believed him to be so interesting. Muggleborn Slytherins were far and few in between. Just as he could say anything he thought, Jimin coughed loudly.

“Sorry, something’s in my throat,” he said, shooting Jeongguk a look that told him to not speak. “Jeongguk’s my cousin. My great grandmother Seo-Jun Park is also his…his father’s side, well—”

“My dad died. I know he’s pureblood, but I never asked my mother afterwards.”

This caused a dry spell in the discussion: just in time for the food to appear before their eyes and for Jeongguk to marvel at this bit of magic.

McGonagall, after dessert, gave a speech about the importance of unity and the acceptance of everyone. From time to time, she would eye Jeongguk with a worried glance, but would quickly look away when she made eye contact with him. After this speech, students were allowed to leave. Just like everyone else, Jeongguk stood and began to head towards the exit. McGonagall caught him by the arm before he could, though, and told him to stay at the bottom of the stairs until everyone had cleared out.

Now that everyone was in the entrance as opposed to the Great Hall, Jimin was the only one who could communicate with him, and he was glad he had someone he could talk to; he was thoroughly confused.

“What was that about?” Jeongguk asked quietly, glancing around. A few straggling students looked at him like he was speaking nonsense; he blushed.

“Well…you’re a Muggleborn in Slytherin. You’re also a transfer student who doesn’t know English, so that puts a giant target on your back. I suppose she’s worried about your wellbeing.”

“Great,” Jeongguk sighed. “That’s great.”

“You’ll get used to the language thing. I’ve gotten to understand it just a bit more…I just can’t speak it. Not that it really matters. The only people that need to understand me can.” Jimin smiled but didn’t bare his teeth. Again, it was like his canines protruded out further than the others. “By the way, I was going to let you know—”

“Park, please go to your dormitory.” McGonagall’s voice rang through the hall. “Madam Pomfrey will need to see you later, though. _Do_ not forget about that.”

Jimin sent McGonagall an indignant glare before waving at Jeongguk and taking off.

“You will just follow me, Jeon,” the headmistress said, and Jeongguk followed her in her wake.

The two reached a Gargoyle after a moment’s worth of walking. McGonagall said, “Tartan.”

Like the Gargoyle had come to life, it jumped aside for the headmistress and Jeongguk. She stepped onto the stairs, and the boy followed.

Stepping into the headmistress’s office, Jeongguk was met with a comfortable looking office. Surrounding it were magical, spindly objects in different cabinets and cupboards. On the walls, different portraits hung of different people—based on the portrait of Albus Dumbledore Jeongguk spotted, he assumed they were former headmasters and mistresses.

"Sit down," McGonagall said, pulling Jeongguk from his dazed-like state. He was drawn back to reality; not that it was far from fantasy, he was in a magic school, after all.

The boy took a seat across from McGonagall, a desk in between the two. Again, Jeongguk began to look around. He was absolutely fascinated—

“Have a biscuit, Jeon.”

Jeongguk had a distinct feeling he would have to be snapped back to reality for a while…well, at least until he got used to the grandeur and mystery that came with Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall held out a biscuit for Jeongguk to take, and he did with a grateful, "Thank you."

“You will get used to Hogwarts in due time,” McGonagall said kindly, closing the tin she kept her biscuits in. “Hogwarts becomes a home to several students here…and I hope it will become a second home for you, too.

"Though, I can't say I'm not worried about you. You're a Muggleborn, and Muggleborns are just as capable of magic as any other wizard…but in the House you were sorted into…well, they are usually Pure-blooded, and if not, Half-blooded.

“Slytherins are, well, usually biased against Muggleborn students, and in your case, you’re a—”

“Target?” Jeongguk said quietly, then bowed his head. “Sorry, Professor.”

“You’re right. Park, I think, will be a good influence on you. He can help you. He knows to look out for certain words, as he had told you.”

Though Jeongguk had had no prior knowledge of McGonagall, he knew from their initial meeting that he couldn't be on her bad side. He doubted he would ever be, though. She was so kind to him; he couldn't help but already like her a lot. She was someone he could rely on.

"Alongside that," McGonagall said, opening the tin again and handing Jeongguk another biscuit, "I will alert the prefects. If anyone is to bully you, I will know, and they will face serious consequences."

“I don’t want you to worry too much about my situation,” Jeongguk said after thanking her for the additional biscuit. “I don’t want to exhaust you.”

"Each student must receive the highest form of education here, and bullies interfere with that." McGonagall pulled out one more biscuit and handed it to Jeongguk, saying, "For Park."

“Thank you, Professor, but I will—”

"Let me know if anyone is harassing you, Jeon. Now, get to sleep. Professor Flitwick will hand you your timetable tomorrow. Do you know where your common room is?"

“Yes, Professor.”

“Then I trust that you can see yourself out. I will see you tomorrow, Jeon.”

At first, he couldn't find the dungeons after taking a wrong turn, but once he realized, he found it quite easily. Upon approaching the common room entrance, he realized he needed a password, and he didn't have it. For a moment, Jeongguk felt panic rise up in him; then, he heard someone say something in English.

To Jeongguk’s delighted surprise, Jimin was walking towards him. He had more colour in his cheeks than he had earlier, but vexation gleamed in his eyes. “I can’t believe they made that the password. Follow me.”

Jimin strutted into the common room, a slight amount of arrogance radiating from him. Nerves began to overcome Jeongguk again. Was Jimin only wearing a front? Would he be…rude?

Only a few fifth, sixth, and seventh years lounged around in the common room. Some talked amongst themselves, while others were already studying. What, Jeongguk didn't know.

All of a sudden, Jeongguk stumbled into Jimin, nearly knocking him down. The nerves were beginning to get the best of him, but before he could plead for forgiveness, Jimin just laughed, reeling himself around so he could look at the younger boy.

"Be careful! Anyway, this is your dorm," Jimin said, waving to the first years' dormitory. "Your trunk is already there, your owl's in the owlery. You have a Firebolt 360? I'm on the Quidditch team—anyway, we have that kept in a safe place. All you need is some sleep, and you should be ready for tomorrow. Also…" Jimin sighed, "You'll need to know the password to the Slytherin house."

“It’s an English word, isn’t it?” Jeongguk asked. He wasn’t terrible at pronouncing English words, it sounded like Jimin had said—

“It’s a slur to Muggleborns…the password is Mudblood.”

That night, Jeongguk went to sleep, the meaning of _that_ word roaming around in his head. Dirty blood? Did Jeongguk have dirty blood? It ran through his veins just the same as any other human, wizard, witch. And Jeongguk had performed miraculous magic—he saved his own life!! But he couldn’t save his brother’s or father’s. Was that why he was in Slytherin? Because he saved his own skin and not the people’s he cared about?

The next morning, Jimin wasn’t present as a liaison to the other Slytherins. He was out of sight, and though Jeongguk knew he couldn’t solely rely on him, he certainly felt more secure knowing someone was in his corner. Someone who could help him lie about his heritage.

At least, Jeongguk thought, that he had read some of his course books. He knew more than most Muggleborn first years would.

Breakfast in the Great Hall wasn't anything memorable. He talked to some fellow first years, and they discussed what subjects they were looking forward to, first. Jeongguk mentioned that he was most excited about Defence Against the Dark Arts and others agreed with him. It was all small talk amongst new students.

Classes, Jeongguk discovered, were much more intriguing than the small talk in the Great Hall. Though he didn’t really talk to anyone, he was able to do much more than others in his class in Charms and Transfiguration. He was able to garner up points for Slytherin, and when he made the perfect potion to cure boils, Professor Slughorn, his Head of House, asked him if he wanted to join him and a few other students after dinner next Wednesday.

His favourite class by far, though, was flying class. Madam Hooch was rather impressed with how quickly he had summoned his broom, and she even let him—and another few accomplished students—fly just a bit. She had taken up his name and those other students, saying something about how she was planning on turning them in to McGonagall later.

This was a positive thing, from what he could tell.

Jeongguk's first day left him floating around in a little bubble. He felt untouchable, like he was on cloud nine. That ended when he ran into the wrong people.

While walking down to the dungeons, Jeongguk accidentally brushed into some older Slytherins. At impact, both shoved him against the wall and took the piece of paper he held. While reading it, the bullies eyed each other. Pushing the letter back into Jeongguk's hands, they picked him up and tossed him into a deeper dungeon. With an ugly sounding click, it sounded as if he was locked in. Jeongguk guessed these quasi-rooms had the enchantments on them, also; the biggest and ugliest of the two leaned in, saying, "If you tell anyone, _if_ they find you, it will be the last time you speak.”

That hateful, familiar word reverberated through the dungeons when the two walked away; they sang, “Mudblood!!”

What Jeongguk did to warrant this, he didn’t know. But he began to cry. All he wanted to do was send a letter to his mother. She wanted to know how his first day was, he knew, so he told her everything. Now, he didn’t know when he’d be released out of the dungeons. Professor McGonagall’s words echoed in his mind as he cried. He couldn’t tell her, or anyone, could he? There had to be a way to get out— _Alohamora_!!

Wiping his eyes, Jeongguk pulled out his wand and pointed it at the lock. With a wave of his wand and perfect pronunciation of the incantation, the lock popped, and he was free once more.

This, Jeongguk hoped, would’ve been the last time that he ran into bigots.

Sadly, it was only the beginning.

With each day that passed, more and more of his fellow Slytherins found out about his blood rank. How he was Muggleborn. A _Mudblood_. Jeongguk dare not say anything, or he would surely be skinned alive. Jimin wasn’t much help, either—ever since that night, Jeongguk hadn’t seen him. He had lost his only friend, the only person who could somewhat understand him. Now, he felt isolated. He didn’t know what to do.

To cope, he would go to a familiar face, a happy, massive man that would gratefully see Jeongguk. Hagrid would let the boy help him with his garden, with surface work in the Forbidden Forest and when Hagrid had nothing else for Jeongguk to do, he would let Jeongguk play with the garden snakes.

"Harry Potter used t'be a Parseltongue," Hagrid told Jeongguk one October day. The days were getting crisper and shorter, nights sooner than they had been. Hagrid would only let him stay out until dark; from there, Jeongguk would go straight to his dorm to do his homework. Students didn't turn in until later, so he had just a bit of time to work before feigning sleep as the other first year boys filed in.

“That makes me weird, doesn’t it?” Jeongguk asked, glancing at his giant friend in his peripheral.

"Special," Hagrid shrugged. "Harry saved the Wizardin' World, didn' he?"

Jeongguk nodded. One of his favourite snakes weaved in between his fingers. "But I'm not special, either. I mean, these snakes and you are my only friends."

“Yer tellin’ me yeh have no friends?” Hagrid asked, frowning.

“They don’t like the Slytherin Mudblood,” Jeongguk said, and when he did, he froze. “Please don’t tell McGonagall that.”

"Are they bullyin' yeh?" Hagrid asked, face turning red with anger. "Tormentin' ya?"

“N-no,” Jeongguk said, suddenly standing up. The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, which was perfect timing. “I need to go.”

“Take that snake with yeh,” Hagrid said, giving him a wary look. “And tell someone that yer bein’ bullied.”

But Jeongguk didn’t, the fear instilled in him keeping him from doing so.

Jeongguk’s snake helped just a bit with his loneliness; he kept it in some confines in the dungeon, but Professor Slughorn let him take it out whenever. He understood Jeongguk’s loneliness.

Not much improved, even with the snake. Any time Jeongguk stepped foot into the common room, it was like there was a new, nasty surprise just for him. Spiders, sludge that was enchanted to make it nearly impossible to wash off. They were relentless, and every single time, Jeongguk couldn't help but cry. In front of them. He felt so weak, but he couldn't stop himself.

Regardless of all hate Jeongguk was receiving, he wrote his mother, telling her how much fun he was having. Without all of the bullying, he was enjoying his classes. As a matter of fact, he was at the top of his class. Sure, Jeongguk was smart in his muggle classes, but he found himself to be impeccable at Charms, Potions, Transfiguration and he _enjoyed_ it. He was even taking special flying lessons so he could play seeker for Slytherin next year. He was a natural at everything he did at Hogwarts. But sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it. It didn't matter where he went or how good he was at what he did. People always found a reason to bully him.

A few weeks after Hagrid gave Jeongguk the snake, he walked into the common room. For once, no one ambushed him with some cruel trick. As a matter of fact, no one was _in_ the common room. For a moment, he thought it was because he was missing a Quidditch match, but then he remembered that it was evening.

Then, out of nowhere, one of his fellow first years walked up to him, holding out what looked like a thick, limp noodle. The boy seemed apologetic as he approached.

That’s when Jeongguk realized that it was his snake.

“ _No, no_!" Jeongguk cried out, taking the snake. From what he could gather, this was one of the Slytherin student's doing. He clutched the snake to his chest and ran upstairs…he needed to find anyone, someone who could fix it…but you couldn't bring things...beings back to life. No magic could do that effectively…

So, he carefully tucked the snake in his pocket.

Jeongguk would not go back in that common room. He'd already been harassed, chastised, and made fun of and he just couldn't do it anymore…but fear kept him from going to McGonagall.

Instead, he would have to wait it out.

Wandering the halls didn’t seem like a bad idea, so as he mopped up his tears with his cloak sleeve, he walked around and observed his surroundings.

Though the place was beautiful and vast, Hogwarts didn't feel like home like he hoped it would've. He always felt at the verge of danger…but he wanted to love Hogwarts so much. If only…if only he could've found a place…a happy place.

While these thoughts ran through Jeongguk's mind, he paced in front of a tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy teaching some trolls ballet. The wall across was void of anything when he had first arrived. But when he looked over, he noticed a door had formed and was practically begging to be opened by Jeongguk.

Curiosity ate away at the boy, so he gave into the impulse and opened the door. What he found was something he didn't expect.

Inside, the room looked as if it was someplace Jeongguk could enjoy himself. Wizard's Chess, Gobstones, and other wizarding games lay about, seven beanbag chairs littered about the room. He stepped in further and found a bed in the corner, and a place where he could make tea and coffee. Looking up, he saw the sky like it was in the Great Hall. Crystal clear, stars freckling the sky and winking down at him.

This was a room Jeongguk had never read about, but he guessed it was something students had put together. It was nice and big, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to sleep in the bed in the corner. He knew he needed to leave, but when he turned to do so, his eyes landed on a Galleon. Next to it, a note that said, “For Jeongguk.”

Maybe, then, Jeongguk thought, the room was for him, too. He figured that Hagrid might’ve told McGonagall about the bullying and she made accommodations for him.

Or maybe, another voice in Jeongguk’s head said, this is another cruel trick.

But nothing seemed harmful when Jeongguk fell asleep in the bed, and when he woke up the next morning, he felt more refreshed than ever. Before parting from his safe haven, Jeongguk was sure to take the Galleon. Maybe he was supposed to buy something with it—Never mind that, he thought. He wanted to give it back to McGonagall and thank her for the room.

Jeongguk saw Jimin for the first time in what seemed like years upon entering the Great Hall. On the other side of him was a Gryffindor, chatting animatedly. The same boy who'd ran through Platform nine and three quarters. His presence surprised Jeongguk, but not immensely. He got just a bit closer, and this, Jimin noticed. He waved the boy over and patted the seat next to himself. "Hey, Jeongguk! I want you to meet my best friend!"

"I'm Taehyung. I transferred here from Korea, too. Jimin was telling me about you," he said, bowing his head slightly in greeting. This Taehyung kid's giant, boxy grin made Jeongguk smile himself.

“Hi, I’m Jeongguk.”

"I'm sorry about all of the jerks," Jimin said after the two kids greeted each other. "I would've been there to stop them…but I got sick and had to stay with Pomfrey for a month and a half. But I'm feeling better!"

"It's okay," Jeongguk said and meant it. Jimin wasn't his babysitter, after all.

“No, it’s not!” Jimin urged. “Some of my peers were telling me about it and…” Jimin huffed. “I _will_ do something about it.”

“But they will only make it—”

“Not with what I have up my sleeve.” Jimin sent Taehyung a mischievous glance and smirked.

A part of Jeongguk wanted to know what this plan was, but he was smart enough not to question it…or argue.

“Hey, what are you playing with?”

The Galleon stared back at Jeongguk when he glanced at his hands. He absentmindedly took it out and began to play with it.

"Oh, I found this room, and it was waiting for me—"

“Wait, let me borrow it,” Taehyung said and hastily took it from Jeongguk before the boy could protest. Turning the coin over, he seemed to find what he was looking for and smiled.

"Good, good. Don't be surprised if it warms up…when it does, go to the room you found, and you'll find a really cool surprise." Taehyung handed it back and dramatically stood up. Jeongguk couldn't stop himself from giggling a little. "Your world's gonna turn upside down for the better, I'm telling you!"

“Okay, okay, he gets it. Just…let Seokjin hyung know the plan. Peeves actually listens to him. I’ll talk to the Bloody Baron!” Jimin waved off his friend, then looked at Jeongguk, who was looking at the Galleon with a pensive look on his face.

“What are you thinking?” Jimin asked Jeongguk, who turned the coin in his hand for the umpteenth time.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I think your year’s gonna get a whole lot better.” Jimin stood, then patted Jeongguk’s back. “Remember, if it warms up, go to the Room of Requirement. That’s what it’s called.”

With those words, Jimin left for what Jeongguk assumed was his first class of the year.

For a few days, Jeongguk waited. The Galleon was in his hand more often than it wasn't, and every once in awhile, he thought it had warmed up. Really, it was just his body heat raising the temperature of the Galleon.

Since Jimin’s reappearance, Jeongguk felt just a bit more confident about going into the dormitories. The first few times, he found Jimin taking wands from cruel peers, yelling at them. The third time this happened, Jimin suggested going to the library until their secret plan came into play.

It was a Saturday in late October when Jeongguk finally felt the coin heat up. He was sitting in the library with Jimin, working on an essay on the uses of wolfsbane. When his fellow Slytherin looked up, a mischievous grin on his face, Jeongguk knew it wasn’t just his body heat warming up the coin.

“We’re not doing anything illegal, are we?” Jeongguk asked as they both quietly packed up so they could take off for the Room of Requirement.

"No, but if you're saving your reputation, why would it matter?" said Jimin, swinging his sack over his shoulder. "No matter, they can't snitch on you anyway because then they'd be admitting that they were bullying you—let's go!"

Taking Jeongguk’s wrist, Jimin pulled Jeongguk behind, making him stumble just slightly. Jimin was quite a bit taller than him, and his legs longer. It was hard for Jeongguk to keep up without stumbling and tripping over his robes. But thankfully, they reached the destination in no time.

“Next time, I’m giving you a piggyback ride,” Jimin said, stopping in the corridor and across from the tapestry of trolls learning ballet. “Now, all you gotta do is pace across three times and summon the Magic Shop.”

“Magic Shop?” Jeongguk said, not thinking it looked much like a shop when he had seen it.

“It will work, I promise,” Jimin said. “I want you to do it for practice. I’ve done this loads of times.”

So, Jeongguk followed orders. He paced back and forth, thinking, “I want to get into the Magic Shop.”

And like the last time he had paced, wishing to find a place to be happy, a door appeared.

“Brilliant!” Jimin said, pushing the door open.

Jeongguk cautiously followed behind; Jimin, a few times, had tried to tell Jeongguk about where he and his friends got together. Jeongguk figured that this must’ve been it.

Walking in, Jeongguk discovered not the night sky, but a galaxy staring down at him. Those bean bags sitting out were now occupied by five people, and a house-elf, Jeongguk recognized, was handing out drinks to these people.

“Tizzy, you should play Exploding Snap with us. I hate that you keep serving us,” a boy in Hufflepuff robes said.

“She likes serving us, though,” another boy in Gryffindor robes said, smiling at the house-elf when she handed him a steaming cup of what looked like tea. “Thank you, Tizzy.”

"She gets paid, Joon. Shacklebolt and Granger-Weasley are constantly passing legislation for elf rights." This boy sat on top of his Ravenclaw robes and spun his wand around between his fingers at an impressive speed.

"Well, hello, my friends!" Jimin suddenly said, which made all boys and the house-elf jump. When they looked back towards him and spotted Jeongguk, too, they glanced to Jimin for an answer.

"You know how I was telling you that my first year friend was being bullied for being Muggleborn?" Jimin asked, and in the distance, Jeongguk could see Taehyung nodding feverously.

“To be honest, I’m shocked you got put in Slytherin,” the only Ravenclaw in the room said. “And sorry to tell you, but pretending to be in a different House doesn’t work. I tried to be a Slytherin and McGonagall found me out right away—I’m Min Yoongi, by the way. I’m a fifth year.”

Jeongguk had to stifle a giggle, but he smiled nonetheless. “I’m Jeongguk.”

Jimin turned to Jeongguk, filling him in on his friends’ misadventures and personal details. “Yoongi wanted to be a Slytherin _so_ bad. His family were all in their equivalent of Slytherin in Mahoutokohro, and when he came here, he thought that he aligned with the Slytherin traits the most—”

“And I do! Resourcefulness,” Yoongi started as he listed it out on his fingers, “cunning, cleverness, ambition. I’m a solid—”

"It's been five years, Yoongs. Give it up." A bright-eyed Hufflepuff older than Jeongguk sat next to Yoongi and swung an arm around him. His eyes turned to Jeongguk, and he flashed a heart-shaped smile. "Yoongi also stays awake into the wee hours of the morning, writing enchanted music that manipulates emotions."

“Isn’t that regular music?” Jeongguk asked the Hufflepuff quietly.

“It’s not the same,” Yoongi said, pulling his robes on. He stood and walked over to the bar that the house-elf had been serving their drinks from to get something himself. “Not that it matters right now. Jimin, you should introduce the rest of the gang.”

“You’re right,” Jimin muttered, and this was when Jeongguk remembered his friend was standing right next to him. He pointed to the Hufflepuff that sat next to Yoongi previously. “Hoseok hyung, 4th year”—he pointed to the second Hufflepuff—“Namjoon hyung, 3rd year”—and the two Gryffindors—“You already know Tae. Then, we have Seokjin hyung. 5th year. The Gryffindor Quidditch team king. There’s no doubt he’ll be the captain next year.”

Seokjin sent Jimin an appraising look, nodding his head a bit. “Are you still declining bets on who’s gonna win the cup?”

“Since we’re both on teams, yes,” Jimin said, then turned to Jeongguk, who was running through the names and placing them with each face. These were Jimin’s friends. This meant they were his friends, too, now.

“I should be on the team next year. McGonagall said that she would’ve taken me this year. I would’ve been the youngest Slytherin quidditch player in the past one hundred and sixty years, but I declined.”

"Why would you do that?" Taehyung asked, pouting. Jeongguk already liked Taehyung a lot, and they had had minimal contact with each other.

“Well—”

"The reason why we're making this plan, I suppose?" Yoongi asked, slipping a few sickles to a resisting Tizzy. She seemed to not want his money. "Because you're being bullied?"

“Now, why would that affect anything?” Seokjin asked.

“If he fails at anything, he’s instantly scrutinized,” Namjoon said, eyeing Jeongguk sadly.

“After we execute the plan, it won’t matter, anyway,” Taehyung said, mischief glinting in his eyes. Parchment and a quill materialized in front of him, and he began to scratch something down.

“Might as well all sit down and put our heads together, then,” Jimin said, and the five became seven, all huddled around a table.

“Now, what would you say is most intimidating about you?” Taehyung asked, writing down who knew what. Jeongguk would have to bend in an extraordinary way to see.

“I don’t know if this is intimidating, but I can talk to snakes—”

“Oh, my God,” Namjoon whispered, looking around at everyone else. Each made eye contact with the other, incredulous looks on their faces.

“Can you do it on command?” Jimin asked with caution in his voice. It felt like a coolness filled the room.

“I know that not many people can do it, but—”

"Harry Potter could, but…but only because some of You-Know-Who's soul was in him. That might really scare people," Hoseok said. He looked to be the most nervous, shoulders scrunched up as he wrang his hands around his wand. Everyone else appeared doubtful.

But how did he prove it?

A sudden wriggle in his pocket nearly scared Jeongguk senseless. He pulled a snake out of his pocket, eyes wide. It looked just like one of Hagrid’s garden snakes.

“ _Can you understand me_?” he asked it.

The snake stared at Jeongguk, entranced. There was no harm it could do, but being in cahoots with a snake would make anyone look a bit…odd, to say the least.

In gauging everyone else's reaction, Jeongguk gazed at his new friends to be met with wide eyes and mouths agape.

“I think that’s brilliant, actually,” Taehyung said. “I mean, they wouldn’t disrespect an heir of Slytherin, would they?”

"It scares into subordination, though," Jimin said. "There are choice people we need to startle, and it would be tough to get them all in one place."

“Who are our targets?” Yoongi asked, catching a glimpse of what Taehyung wrote down.

“Several fifth, sixth, and seventh years as well as several first years. The rest of us leave him alone—at least, that’s what I saw when I came back. They didn’t do much to help him, though.” Jimin sighed.

“They didn’t want to get bullied, either!” Taehyung said, punctuating whatever he wrote with a flourish. “More the reason to show the house not to mess with the wrong person.”

Jimin, again, sighed and glanced at Jeongguk. "What'd'you think of speaking Parseltongue in front of everyone?"

Jeongguk didn’t know what to think; all he could do was hear the Headmistress’s words whirring in his mind. How he needed to take it up with her. He didn’t want to be bullied…but he didn’t want to get in trouble, either. Not on his six new friends’ accounts.

“Jimin, I talked to Peeves,” Seokjin said suddenly, which brought Jeongguk out of his reverie. “He says he’s willing to throw water balloons down at first years while Jeongguk scares the upperclassmen.”

"The Bloody Baron's hard to break, but I think I'm starting to get to him," Jimin said in reply. All while they continued planning, Jeongguk slipped away and sat in a newly materialized chair tucked under a table. Sat across from him was Tizzy, sitting on some books so she could drink her tea.

“They like planning pranks, they do, mister,” Tizzy said, jumping up. “What do you want to drink?”

“Nothing…nothing. I just need to think about things,” Jeongguk said, swinging his legs. The elf jumped back onto her seat, sipping it.

"Jeongguk?" Taehyung beckoned, and the youngest turned around. All eyes were cast on him, and he felt a furious flush rush to his cheeks.

“I need to think about it…I’m sorry if I’m ruining what you guys want to do—”

“Hey, it’s not about that. Really.” Hoseok stood up from where he was sitting and glided over, massaging Jeongguk’s shoulders. “I mean, we like to have fun, but there are other ways to do that other than scaring your House.”

“We found passageways that lead to Hogsmeade,” Taehyung said, sharing a no-good-doing glance with Jimin.

“We just don’t like the idea of you being bullied,” Seokjin said. “Just let us know when you want the siege to commence. We can start on it right away.”

Knowing that so many people were on Jeongguk's side lightened his heart a bit the next few days. Instead of worrying about jeers and insults being thrown his way between classes, he seemed to have a little bounce with each step he took. He did notice, once, when one of the seventh year Slytherins tried to stick out their foot to trip him. With a glimpse of white and a small bit of illegal hallway magic, this seventh year in question was body-bound before Jeongguk could fall into the trap. He noticed Seokjin smiling at him before losing his face in the crowd of students.

One particular day in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Jeongguk sat down in his usual spot but didn't see the pleasant face of his Professor. Instead, Harry Potter, the saviour of the Wizarding World, stood there in all of his glory. Jeongguk knew it wasn't polite to stare, but he couldn't help it when his eyes travelled to the lighting-shaped scar on his forehead. He looked humble, bearded and messy-haired, yet he emitted a powerful aura. This man in front of Jeongguk _killed_ Voldemort.

Harry Potter caught Jeongguk staring, and instantly he muttered an apology and sunk his eyes to the floor.

"I'm used to it, don't worry," Harry Potter said, which made Jeongguk's heart a little lighter. He looked at the saviour, and they shared a smile.

Once the bell rang and everyone sat in their respective seats, Harry Potter clapped his hands together and smiled at the class in front of him. Many of the young Slytherins stared at him in amazement, gawking like they had never seen him before. One of Jeongguk’s peers raised his hand, saying, “You’re Harry Potter!”

“That would be me,” Mr Potter laughed with a nod. “Anyway, as you can see, your professor isn’t here today. As a matter of fact, she decided it would be good for me to come in and give you kids a little lesson on a defensive spell. The very spell I used to kill Voldemort.”

Several of the children gave a giant lurch, but Jeongguk leaned against the palms of his hands, lapping up every single word Harry Potter had said.

Harry Potter, after all, stood up to his biggest bully and defeated him. Jeongguk could, too, if he really wanted to…but was it Harry Potter worthy? Maybe there was someone he could confide in…and it was the man with the lightning bolt on his forehead.

After a fun and much harder class than Jeongguk was used to, he was one of the first people to disarm his partner. He worked with one of his congenial peers who congratulated him each time he did so. Harry Potter was thoroughly impressed, and when Jeongguk was usually humble in his endeavours, basking in Harry Potter’s pride was something he wanted to do more often.

Jeongguk approached Harry Potter after everyone else in the room had dispersed. He was careful not to sneak up on him, and said, “Mr Potter?”

The man turned around and smiled right away. “Excellent work in class today, Jeongguk! I’m sure Professor Hopkin will be proud of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jeongguk said with a little bow of his head. He knew no one in England expected it, but when he was nervous, he still did it. After all, it was respectful; it wouldn’t hurt anything. “I actually was wondering if I could talk to you…only if you have time.”

Harry's smile broadened but was just as sincere. "I believe it's your lunch break, am I correct?"

Jeongguk nodded.

"Then go on, I have time, and so do you."

“I…” Jeongguk clenched his hands into fists, his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. He didn’t want to admit it because he was sure Mr Potter would go to the headmistress. “Please don’t tell Headmistress McGonagall. I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse if she finds out.”

The happy demeanour Harry sported disintegrated into worry. “Are you being bullied?”

“I’m a Mudblood.” The words were venom on his lips, and just muttering them made him want to throw up. He made eye contact with Harry Potter. “My House won’t let me forget it.”

At these words, Mr Potter appeared offended. Lips pinched and ears blushing, he gave a curt nod. “Why _haven’t_ you gone to the headmistress, Jeongguk? They shouldn’t be hurting you, being so cruel…I know you’re a transfer student—”

“I know what it means, Sir. My friend explained. He’s Pureblood. He likes me a lot…and he and our friends came up with a plan.”

Harry Potter's brow quirked. He flicked his wand, and two chairs appeared in mid-air. He sat the moment they touched the floor and patted the other chair, inviting Jeongguk to sit.

“As an adult, I’m supposed to recommend going to your higher-ups to sort this type of thing out, but as a former rule-breaker, I’d like to know your plan.” A hint of a smile told Jeongguk he was safe to divulge, and so he did.

Jimin had explained the plan perfectly to Jeongguk, and apparently, Jimin had talked to Hagrid about this as well. At the moment, there was a giant, but tame snake waiting for Jeongguk to befriend. After they became friendly, Jeongguk was going to bring the snake into the common room and wait for his main antagonists to gather around. He would be "caught in the act" of speaking to this snake, and all while frightening the older culprits, Peeves would be dousing the younger bullies with water balloons. No one would get hurt, rumour would spread that he was a Parseltongue, and Jeongguk, hopefully, would be safer.

Over the next fifteen minutes, Jeongguk explained this, as well as his ability to talk to snakes. Mr Potter seemed surprised with this information, but he didn't act startled in any way: more so curious.

“When did you discover you could speak to snakes?” Mr Potter asked after Jeongguk’s spiel, and though he knew that that single fact wasn’t all the saviour got out of it, he did want to know, from the man himself, why speaking Parseltongue was so…odd.

"One time, this boy was trying to bully me in the woods. I was holding this stick, and it turned into a snake. The snake scared him off, and I thanked it, and it spoke back to me." A small smile found its way to Jeongguk's face as he relived the memory. "I stopped talking to him after my mom found out."

Harry Potter nodded stoically, taking in the information. “Who knows?”

“Only Hagrid and my friends, I suppose.”

Mr Potter nodded again. “I don’t want to say anything, but no matter how you go about it, I hope that you—”

“Jeonggukkie?”

The door slammed loudly, and it seemed unintentional by the way Jimin flinched at the noise. He muttered something under his breath, then blanched at the sight. “O-oh! Hello!” Jimin bowed slightly in respect, somewhat starstruck. “I’ve heard a lot of amazing things about you, sir!”

“Were you looking for your friend?” Mr Potter asked, summoning another chair. “I suppose you’re one of his friends that knows his special talent?”

Jimin didn't move, although he had been made a place to sit. He couldn't stop gawking.

“Yes, that’s me, sir.”

Nodding, Mr Potter stood, and so did Jeongguk. The chairs vanished with the wave of Harry's wand. "I think he was looking for you, Jeongguk."

“You won’t tell the headmistress, right?” Jeongguk asked, his doe eyes a useful weapon in this small battle. But Harry Potter didn’t seem to need the pleading. He zipped his lips and tossed the key behind his back.

Heaving a large breath of relief, Jeongguk said, “Thank you,” several times before making his way to the door.

“If you ever need to talk to someone,” Mr Potter called as they edged their way out of the room, “send me an owl!”

With several more, “Thank yous,” Jimin and Jeongguk finally made it out of the room and began to walk side by side.

Something didn't sit right with Jeongguk when he finally got a good look at Jimin. His visage was much paler, almost paperwhite. And the circles under his eyes…but the way his canines seemed to want to burst out of his mouth….

“Jimin,” Jeongguk stopped suddenly. The older boy did, too, turning to his younger friend. “Are you…are you hungry?”

Terror flashed in Jimin’s eyes, and when he ran towards the restroom, Jeongguk did, too. He followed him in, and when Jimin caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he almost became translucent, he was so pale.

“I-I need…I’ve had this so well under control and….” Jimin leaned against the sink, beat. “I need Madam Pomfrey. I—I can’t stay…I need Madam Pomfrey! Jeongguk…get Madam Pomfrey!”

The last few words Jimin said made Jeongguk jump in surprise. He'd never heard Jimin raise his voice, but when Jeongguk saw him, the younger realized that thinking he was a vampire was reasonable. Stumbling out of the bathroom, Jeongguk attempted to run straight to the hospital wing but almost ran right into someone just before he reached the end of the hall. 

Headmistress McGonagall, who appeared quite scandalised.

“I would think you would know not to run, Mr Jeon!”

“I’m sorry, Professor…Jimin…he’s just….” Jeongguk took a few breaths. “Hungry. He needs Madam Pomfrey.”

The angry gaze simmered into sheer concern. She nodded, then said, “Which bathroom?”

“Down the hall.”

"Carry on, then.”

Jeongguk took off, and moments later, he reached the nurse.

A few days passed, and like the beginning of the year, Jimin seemed to go off the map. Though the taunts in the hallways weren't as bad as they had been, the older Slytherins began to round on Jeongguk again. Making fun of him in a different language, tripping him, other embarrassing things with even more threats. Each day got worse until that little coin in Jeongguk's pocket heated up one day.

Not that it took his strife away, not that Jeongguk would show up and everyone would suddenly leave him alone. Still, the coin, his friends, were a distraction nonetheless. Not everyone was there when he reached the Room of Requirement. Just Taehyung and Jin. But everyone else poured in after Jeongguk, all except Jimin. 

This became an eyesore as they all sat around the coffee table, a Jimin sized space on reserve—no one tried to close it off, his space was his. But Jeongguk doubted he would come.

“Again?” Taehyung said, crestfallen. Then he found Jeongguk. “I heard you were there.”

Nodding, Jeongguk relayed all of the information he had, and what he had done and seen. After reporting to Pomfrey, he hadn’t seen Jimin again…but he knew he was in danger.

A somberness hung over the heads of the assortment of Hogwarts students, almost like they were mourning the missing member of their group.

“I think I know why he’s like this, too,” Jeongguk said almost as an afterthought, and the eldest of the bunch shared knowing looks.

“What’s that?” Hoseok asked, but his expression told the youngest that he already knew.

“A vampire.”

Small sniffles echoed through the already too quiet room, and the culprit hiccoughed. Taehyung wiped his eyes. “It’s just him going through vampire puberty! They go through puberty earlier than we do, and h-he told me that his mother was already considering bringing him home after last time!”

Heart sinking in his chest, Jeongguk felt tears rush to his eyes, too. He didn’t care that his closest friend was a vampire; Jimin was his first friend, and it felt like he was already losing him.

But Jeongguk had the others, too.

For a while, the boys sat around, sharing stories about Jimin. Things he’d done to make them laugh, smile, simply enjoy his presence. Tizzy walked around, handing out drinks at first, but then she joined the fray, too.

"Mister Park would visit Tizzy in the kitchens! Oh, he would give Tizzy so many compliments about Tizzy's cooking!" 

The mood brightened over an hour or so, and once everyone was in a better mood, the Magic Shop felt much more comfortable. Jeongguk played Wizard's Chess with Tizzy, Yoongi decided to play some of his enchanted music that could alter your mood with each song. Hoseok chose to make paper cranes and enchant them to fly around. Namjoon, Seokjin, and Taehyung, though, stayed in a corner, passing a piece of paper between each other. 

“What are they planning?” Jeongguk asked, watching as one of his men was annihilated.

“They’re perfecting your anti-bully plan,” Hoseok said, waving his wand to cast another paper crane into the air. “They’re completely ready if you are.”

Something in Jeongguk’s ear told him that they needed to wait for Jimin…but Jimin would want them to commence with the plan. At the least, Jeongguk wanted to let him know it was happening….

"Is Jimin in the hospital wing, or do they send him to St. Mungo’s?”

"I would guess he’s here, just under a magical quarantine,” Namjoon answered, pulling his head from the trio’s work. “You couldn’t get to him, even if you wanted to.”

"Then I guess I need to tell Madam Pomfrey—”

"Tizzy can tell Mister Park!" Tizzy said, jumping to her feet.

"House-Elves don’t follow the same laws of magic we do,” Namjoon said before ducking back into his work.

"Thank you, Tizzy," Jeongguk said, readjusting his stance, so he was sitting on his knees. "Don't let Madam Pomfrey see you if you can help it…make sure no one else but him his there when you tell him. But we're moving forward with the plan. He'll know what we're talking about."

"Yes, Mister Jeon!”

With a loud crack, Tizzy disapparated.

“We’re just about done with the final tweaks, Guks, and we have a perfect plan.” Taehyung turned to Jeongguk, a broad smile on his face. “The only problem is, we have one chance.”

“Either way, people are gonna be _pretty_ weirded out if Jeongguk can talk to snakes," Seokjin said. "And, naturally, rumours are going to spread. Honestly, I would tell McGonagall, so she doesn't keel over from the shock."

Just as Jeongguk was about to respond, Tizzy returned with a loud crack. “Mister Park told Tizzy to tell Mister Jeon that he thinks that’s brilliant!”

And so, operation anti-bully commenced.

Jeongguk just so happened to agree with Seokjin about the Parseltongue. If McGonagall found out that he was a Parselmouth, he didn’t know how she’d react. One night after dinner, he decided to venture towards her office. The gargoyle leapt aside when Jeongguk said, “Tartan,” and he knocked on her door a moment later.

“Enter,” she said, and Jeongguk stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“Hello, Headmistress,” he said with a small bow. “I wanted to tell you something.”

Jeongguk could see it in her eyes, and it was not just the reflection in her glasses. He knew that she knew that he was being bullied. Whether it was from observation or a snitch, though, Jeongguk didn’t know.

“What would you like me to know, Mr Jeon?” She nodded towards the seat in front of her desk, and Jeongguk took a seat.

"I'm a Parselmouth," Jeongguk said bluntly, wringing his hands together. "I forgot to mention it to you when we first met. A lot was happening and…yeah. But I found out after I accidentally transfigured a stick to a snake. I talked to it, and it became my friend."

Two emotions seemed to be battling within the headmistress. She sat up straight like she was surprised, but her eyes screamed that it was just another new thing she learned about one of her students. “What made you want to tell me this now?”

The palms of Jeongguk’s hands felt raw; he couldn’t stop wringing them. “I mean…just in case word ever gets out. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

Though McGonagall threw Jeongguk an incredulous look, she said, “Thank you, Mr Jeon. Is that all?”

When Jeongguk nodded, he stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor.”

“Don’t forget that you have a Transfiguration test tomorrow!”

Jeongguk knew it was an unspoken rule not to give the House entry to anyone outside of their own, but he felt it was of utmost importance he did this particular day. The setup would take some time and multiple people, as this snake was rather large. Jeongguk had met it the previous day, and it seemed lovely. They had made conversation over Hagrid and the forest he was residing in. When Jeongguk had mentioned his plan to the snake, he seemed excited, and now all they had to do was relocate him to the dungeons.

This would not be easy, and Jeongguk knew it. Yet, they had a plan.

As much as Jeongguk loved Quidditch, the boys knew it would be easiest to set up while almost everyone was on the pitch. What made it even easier was that it would be Slytherin against Ravenclaw, and naturally, Slytherin enjoyed watching their team. Nevertheless, if there was a snag in their plan, it was decided that Jeongguk would possess the master coin. If the coast was clear, he would fix the coins to where it would notify the others that they were safe to come in.

This hadn’t seemed to be an issue, though. Not in the slightest.

Each of the dorms remained dormant, doors swung open haphazardly and empty. No sixth years sat by the fire, conjuring up another way to make Jeongguk's room a living hell. He even called out, "Hello?" in English, but nobody responded. The House was safe.

Just like the common room, the hallways were vacant. No footsteps could be heard, and when he called out again, nothing stirred within the dungeons. 

“Well, that’s good,” Jin said, peering his head from around one of the cell walls. He held the upper part of the snake’s body. “Makes things ten times easier.”

“Definitely,” Jeongguk said, then looked at the snake.

“ _Can you tell your friends to put me down_?” it hissed.

"He can slither in on his own, he wants you to put him down,” Jeongguk said.

Jin didn’t think twice and let it flop to the floor.

"Be careful!” Namjoon said, then walked into the hallway. “I think the dungeons are enchanted with that language charm, too, by the way. I will never understand why they don’t enchant the common rooms, to be honest.”

"Ignorance is bliss.” Yoongi popped out of the cell as well, rolling his eyes. “At least, that’s what I’m sure the governours think. I know McGonagall would have it throughout the castle if she could control it.”

"If we keep chit-chatting, we’ll run out of time.” Hoseok’s voice echoed through the dungeons as his voice grew ever nearer. Turning around, Jeongguk found that he wasn’t in a holding cell with everyone else.

"Fair enough. Let’s go,” Taehyung said, and now, all of them stood in the hallway. Everyone but Jimin. But there was no time to dwell on this. They had to move.

Everyone, including the snake, knew what to do. Jeongguk would open the House entrance, and once he was situated with the snake, the others would leave. Peeves would high-tail it to the Slytherin House when he noticed students filing back into the castle, and they would be able to act out on their plan. 

"You got it from here, don’t you?” Yoongi asked Jeongguk once he sat on the couch, the snake next to him. It sat there, curled up.

"Yes, I got it,” Jeongguk said.

Left with multiple pats on the back and good lucks his way, Jeongguk sat alone with the snake, waiting for his fellow Slytherins to barge back into the common room.

Luckily, it didn't take too long. After a couple of minutes, the sound of rumbling erupted in the hall just beyond the common room. Jeongguk glanced at the snake. 

" _Are you ready_?” Jeongguk asked it. “ _I don’t know what to talk about_.”

" _Hagrid told me that you’re the only known living perssssson who can sssspeak Parssseltongue. They won’t undersssstand ussss anyway._ ”

The snake had a point. Out of the corner of Jeongguk's eye, he saw the common room entrance open. " _So I can say anything, and they won't know any better_?”

A girl screamed.

Gazing back at the door, he noticed several of his fellow Slytherins staring at him with looks of shock, some of horror, and some of sheer awe. He smiled at them, asking, “ _What_?” in Parseltongue.

The girl Jeongguk assumed had screamed ran, while others backed into the hallway. A few individuals stayed, and oddly enough, Jeongguk noticed that a few were the people that had first really started bullying him.

Satisfaction couldn’t be helped; the people who scared and tormented Jeongguk were now scared of _him_.

Another bout of screaming echoed throughout the House, and when several drenched peers ran out of the dorm, Peeves chased them around, dropping more water balloons on their heads.

This, Jeongguk thought, was payback for all of the torment he endured. For the mean taunts. For the jeers, the stares, the pure discrimination based on his validity as a wizard—

Another scream, louder this time, snapped Jeongguk out of his reverie; now, he realized that the snake was approaching a student.

" _Hey!_ ”

"Petrificus Totalus!”

The silence became deafening the moment Headmistress McGonagall stormed into the common room.

Casting a scathing look, her eyes glowed like a cat’s as she looked for the trouble-doer. Jeongguk’s heart sunk when he realized the extent of this elaborate prank. He didn’t consider the ramifications, not until now.

McGonagall stifled a gasp when her eyes landed on Jeongguk. She maintained her cool demeanour but gestured him to join her, so he did. With the flick of her wand, the snake followed behind them, and they progressed their way towards the Headmistress's office. 

With each step Jeongguk took, the guiltier he felt. More and more ideas of how his punishment would be carried out romped around in his mind, and just as they reached her office, he couldn't help but start to cry. Now, he thought, maybe he should've told her when he began to get bullied. He wouldn't be in trouble—

"Headmistress!” a voice called, one Jeongguk hadn’t heard in a while. When he turned around, he saw Jimin. Jeongguk couldn’t help but smile, despite how pale and gaunt he appeared. He was there, not at home, or St. Mungo’s, or the hospital wing. 

"rom behind him appeared Taehyung, then Namjoon, and Yoongi. Jin soon followed, Hoseok in tow. All of his friends were there—friends! They wouldn’t let him take all of the blame, even though it was all at his call.

Jeongguk faced McGonagall and noticed the sentiment pooling in her eyes; the angry visage had completely vanished, but the typical authority roused when she made eye contact with Jeongguk.

"Very well, then.”

Everyone filed around her desk, and once she sat down, she peered directly at the head above Jeongguk; so did the youngest. Jin stood behind him, eye contact unwavering with the Headmistress.

"I would like a full explanation. Do not leave anything out, or your punishment will be more severe when I obtain the information.”

Because this was Jeongguk’s issue, he felt the need to explain, so he started.

"On the first day, two upper years pushed and locked me in a cell. Then, everyone started bullying me. Jimin wasn't there, and I felt really lonely. Each day, the bullying got worse. I started going and hanging out with Hagrid. He had little garden snakes, and I would talk to them. He let me take one into the castle, and Professor Slughorn would keep him caged when I wasn't playing with him. One day, I walked into the common room, and a couple of my peers walked up to me, holding the dead snake—"

"I got it from here,” Jimin said, cutting Jeongguk off. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and turned to McGonagall. “This was a day or so after I came back from the hospital wing. Jeongguk was never in the common room, so I assumed he went to the Room of Requirement.

"You know, Professor, that’s how everyone else met, so I had Tizzy plant a Protean coin in there for him to find. Luckily enough, he did. I had found out that Jeongguk was being bullied through some of my peers, and Taehyung overheard us when he saw I was back. He instantly got to work with the help of the others, and we came up with a plan to scare Jeongguk’s bullies.

"Jeongguk is a Parselmouth. I don’t know how if he’s Muggleborn, but I guess that’s for us to figure out later. We were just going to have Peeves throw water balloons at everyone, but when he told us…that, we figured that he should scare the others. Then, maybe the older students would respect him.”

"It was us, Professor," Namjoon said, placing a hand on Jeongguk's shoulder. "Please don't punish him. He just wanted the bullying to stop, and so did we."

"Mr Kim, I explicitly told him to come to me if he was being bullied, and he did the exact opposite. When students take the issue into their own hands, it often escalates beyond their control. This snake," she emphasized by making it float into their field of vision, "could've severely hurt other students."

"Professor,” Jin said, “we knew what we were doing. The snake is nice according to Hagrid—”

"Have you ever heard of a Blast-Ended Skrewt?" McGonagall snapped, becoming ever more irritated.

"Professor, when students, well, ‘nark,’ bullying gets worse,” Hoseok said.

"They’d probably only be meaner to Jeongguk,” Yoongi added.

"He’s our little brother. We have to protect him—”

"No, you didn’t. She’s right.” As touched as Jeongguk was, as warm as he felt at the thought of having brothers, people who cared for him dearly in this school, they shouldn’t have done any of it for him. This was his problem, not theirs.

"I’ll take the punishment, Professor—”

"We’ll all take it,” Jimin spoke over him, finality in his tone.

McGonagall appeared to be pleased with the comradery between the boys. As much as she tried to hide a smile, a hint of it lingered on her lips.

"You are the first students Peeves has obeyed since the Weasley twins,” she noted with the slightest bit of amusement in her voice. “Nevertheless, what you did was irresponsible. Admirable, but irresponsible. I am taking five points from each of you so you will reflect on what you’ve done, and you will be serving detention with me in the Transfiguration classroom next Wednesday. I don’t know how severe the bullying will be after this little stunt, but if it _does_ continue, I want you to tell me. We can discuss a way to _discreetly_ handle it.” McGonagall turned from them, pulling off her glasses and pinching at the skin between her eyebrows. “You may go, gentlemen.”

Word that Jeongguk was a Parselmouth spread throughout Hogwarts like the plague. When he and Jimin returned to the common room that day, not a single person attempted to approach him or turn their wand his way. This continued as the days passed on, and by the end of the weekend, the entirety of the school knew.

Slytherins became fascinated with this information and those who'd bullied him before either cowered or asked how he did it when they were in spaces that they could discuss such things. Instead of answering, he would tell them to figure it out on their own and find people to sit with—usually Jimin and whoever was sitting with him. 

The next time the boys met up at the Magic Shop was the night before their detention. Instead of colluding on a master plan to take down bullies, they did things normal wizard children did. Played games, cast harmless spells, told stories by Beedle the Bard. Hogwarts was becoming much more of a home to Jeongguk, and he was thankful for it, and for Tizzy, and McGonagall, and the fact that wizarding blood ran through his veins, "dirty" or not. 

What Jeongguk was most thankful for were his seven friends, his older brothers, that would protect him from harm, from bullying, and the vicious taunts. Because of them, he found a place in this World. They didn’t judge him for his misgivings. They didn’t look down on him or Jimin because of their peculiarities, and he couldn’t thank them enough for opening the possibility to truly love his school for all of its worth, people and all.

Finally, Jeongguk could write a genuinely endearing letter to his mother about classes, people, and his feelings. None of them would be lies. This was refreshing for him; he hated lying to his mother.

Only about thirty minutes before their detention, Jeongguk took a couple of letters up to the owlery. One for his mother, the other for Mr Potter. He had told Jeongguk to send one his way, after all. Why not tell him the course of events that followed his anti-bullying siege.

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_It’s Jeongguk. The plan wasn’t perfect, but now my bullies don’t bully me anymore._

_That’s good._

_Rumour spread fast, but that's okay, too. I won't prove my parseltongue, but the people who need to know do._

_I’m glad no one is bullying me anymore._

_Thank you for talking to me that day._

_-Jeongguk_

Tying each note to separate owls and telling them where to go, he watched as they flew off. They went in different directions, turning into black specs, and the amber sky swallowed them whole.

“We need to get down to the Transfiguration classroom.”

Jeongguk jumped, spotting Jimin. He had a letter in his hand, too, turning it over in his hands. He seemed nervous.

“Does your mother know about your last—”

"I’m telling her I’m not leaving Hogwarts. No matter what.”

Soon after Jimin’s owl took off, the two boys padded off, ready to serve their detention.


End file.
